The Southern Illinois University Foundation was established in 1942 to solicit, receive, hold, and administer gifts from private sources for educational purposes. The Foundation provides alumni and other friends a means to invest in the future of their University. The Foundation is an independent, nonprofit corporation, which exists solely to further the mission of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Foundation is a designated 501(c)(3) organization with appropriate approval from the Internal Revenue Service to issue tax-deductible receipts for private gifts received to support Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

As indicated in SIU's long range plan, Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the University, through the Foundation, must actively cultivate resources to supplement and stabilize the revenue sources for the benefit of Southern Illinois University. The aspiration targets of implementing a series of capital campaigns, increasing the SIU Foundation's endowment tenfold, and increasing annual donations by 10 percent per year to at least $50 million annually will assist the university with its vision for the future.

How we manage gifts

• Gifts given to the Foundation are used as the donor advises. A majority of the
  contributions are restricted for scholarships, a particular college, specific departments or other designated purposes.
• Gifts of securities are promptly converted to cash.
• The Foundation generates a gift acknowledgement which will be mailed promptly.
• The Foundation disburses non-endowed funds for the benefit of SIU.
• In furtherance of the goals of Southern at 150 , SIUC and the SIU Foundation retain six percent of all gifts to strengthen the advancement program.
• Endowments are assessed an annualized fee of 1% of the market value.